


Snapdragons and Gardenias (AKA Two Types of Deception)

by Rachaelizame



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7575559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachaelizame/pseuds/Rachaelizame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When in Rome... Landing on a planet that only negotiates with couples, Bashir and Garak are faced with a game of pretend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Julian looked up from the place he’d ducked behind when Kira announced their runabout was about to crash. He immediately pulled out a medical tricorder and went to assess the conditions of the others. All of them were conscious and there were no signs of significant bleeding or other injuries, but he knew you could never be too careful.

They’d been on their way back from a meeting with the Lymations, and everyone else had gone ahead of them. As a species that valued intelligence, the Lymations asked for representatives who could tell of their abilities in all areas and invited even civilians to tour what they had to offer. Given that, oddly enough, their society seemed to view deviousness as another form of intelligence, Julian had mentioned the opportunity to Garak. He’d sensed both that the Lymations would enjoy the chance to converse with someone for whom lying was an everyday occurrence and that Garak would be pleased to talk with them. For whatever secret and obscure reason he had this time, he’d agreed. Julian had heard Kira and Jadzia laughing together about it afterwards, but all he could hear was his own name.

Whyever Garak had come, it seemed to Julian that the man honestly enjoyed himself. However, he was probably regretting that decision about now.

Miles and Kira were already up and working on resolving the situation. Julian made sure they were alright to continue before moving over to Garak. His injuries were minor, but still more severe than Miles’ and Kira’s had been, so he lingered over the other man, doing the best he could to patch him up. In the background he could hear Miles and Kira talking.

“Communications array is completely nonfunctional.”

“Sensor scans show signs of a city not far from here. Guess we’re walking.”

“Wait, what was the name of this place again?”

Eventually Julian went to join the two in figuring things out.

“It’s Cayam. Didn’t you and Keiko go on a trip here?” Kira spoke.

“Yeah.” Miles replied. “It’s the strangest thing. The Cayamins only deal with ‘pair-bonded’ couples. Think being single is ‘undignified’ or something.”

“Well, it’s good you two and Keiko have started dating then!” Julian spoke. “I’d hate to think what would happen if we couldn’t contact the station or even the people of this planet!” Miles turned to him.

“Agreed. With the damage we’ve taken, it would take weeks to fix this by myself.”

As the three discussed how best to get to the city, Julian busied himself mending what wounds he and the other two had sustained in the crash. As they were taking, there came a sudden noise from outside. Looking out, they saw a land-based vehicle coming towards them.

“Someone found us!” Julian exclaimed.

“Well, Chief O’Brien, Major, I think it is in the best interest of all of us if you start acting the happy couple.” Garak finally spoke, coming to join the group.

“Right.” Miles looked annoyed at having to agree with Garak. He reached an arm out. “Nerys, me and Keiko had to practice this before coming here. They have this way of walking together to show that they’re coupled. Basically, just put your arm through mine- like this.” He showed her how and the four of them climbed out of the runabout.

Kira and Miles quickly assumed position as two of the Cayamins came near them. One smiled when she noted their arm positions.

“Ah, we see you know of our customs,” she began. “My name is Narim and this is my pair bonded Laya.” The other woman nodded briefly in acknowledgment .

“I’m Miles O’Brien and this is Kira Nerys.” If the Cayamins were surprised by the different surnames, they didn’t show it, and Julian felt relief as they continued speaking.

“Your vehicle has crashed,” Laya spoke. “We would be pleased to offer you transport to the city, where you both may contact your people for assistance.”

“Thank you.” Kira said. “We would be grateful for that.”

Shortly after, the six of them piled into the Cayamins’ transport. It was similar in many ways to the shuttles used by the Federation, but land-based and designed more to carry people than anything else.

The planet was lovely, if a bit rural. There were plants growing everywhere, in all shades and shapes. The houses they passed seemed almost built into the land, all clean colors and plants growing on the many layers. Julian always enjoyed this bit of space travel- the chance to see something so alien to what he had known so far.

Narim and Laya seemed eager to talk with Miles and Kira, but, as expected, Garak and Julian were ignored. They took the time to debate aspects of a recent concert of music from various cultures they had gone to see recently. When they arrived in the city, Narim spoke.

“We’ll take you to Ambassador Basa’s office. He should know where we can put you and how we can contact your people.”

“Ambassador Basa?” Miles spoke in surprise. “We’re in the capitol then?”

“Yes,” Narim spoke, looking at him curiously. “You know the Ambassador?”

“Yeah. We met him when we last came here.”

“Well, even better! He will certainly be able to help you!” Laya said cheerily. The group lapsed into a comfortable silence as they approached the office.

When they arrived, Miles and Kira again laced their arms together as Narim and Laya explained the situation to the Ambassador’s secretary. The group was ushered into the office a few minutes later.

“Miles O’Brien!” Basa smiled when he saw him. “And your brilliant- This is not your pair-bonded.”

“What?” Kira exclaimed. “Of course I am!”

“No, we met Miles’ wife when he last came. She is named Keiko. You are someone new.” He drew back in horror. “You have broken a pair bond?” Narim and Laya gasped.

“No, that’s not what’s happening,” Miles began.

“Guards!” Basa replied. Two strong people rushed into the room and assessed the situation, hurrying towards Kira and Miles when they saw the horrified looks being thrown at them.

“You don’t understand!” Kira shouted as the two were placed in handcuffs.

“No, we won’t listen to you any longer. We shouldn’t even speak to you.” Basa said.

“Will you at least contact our people so they can explain?”

“We have heard enough lies! We see no reason we should contact them just to say we have apprehended a pair of criminals and a pair of unbound!” Basa said, gesturing in turn at Kira and Miles before moving on to Julian and Garak.

It was at that moment Julian felt an arm wind around his own.

-

Julian stared at Garak as he positioned their arms together. What was he doing? Garak grasped his hand and changed his stance to be- not more open, but certainly more focused on Julian. Julian, for his part, simply stared at Garak in growing confusion. He recognized this as the same way Kira and Miles had stood together when they greeted the three Cayamins- the same stance Narim and Laya were even now taking.

As Basa turned his head to complete his gesturing, he immediately caught sight of their twined arms.

“What is the meaning of this? Do you mean to further disrespect us?” He demanded. Julian quickly tried to mirror Garak’s stance. He didn’t know what Garak was doing. But he didn’t have time to figure it out now. He’d just have to play along and hope Garak had a plan. Julian was sure he did, he just didn’t know how wise it would be to follow it- but then, it wasn’t like he had any better ideas.

“No disrespect intended, Ambassador. Quite simply, you seem to have come to a conclusion about the two of us that we would be remiss not to correct.” Garak replied. Julian had a sinking feeling he knew where this was headed.

“Are you trying to imply that you both are bonded?” Basa asked, incredulous. Yeah, that’s where it was headed. Now, Julian didn’t mind the thought of them being a couple necessarily, but acting as one? That might get tricky. For a number of reasons.

“Yes, we are!” Julian wasn’t sure where the declaration had come from, but he went with it, grasping Garak’s hand tighter and doing his best to look besotted. Given how uncomfortable he was at that moment, it wasn’t the most convincing act he’d ever given.

He turned and saw Kira and Miles giving him matching disbelieving looks- with a hint of dawning disgust at the possibility that perhaps it wasn’t a lie. And there was one of the aforementioned problems. Well, best to deal with that later.

“If you are pair-bonded, why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Basa asked, looking suspicious at their suddenly declared relationship. Garak seemed about to say something, but even given his skills at obfuscation, Julian was pretty sure his excuse would be more believable.

“Garak is a very private person,” he said, putting all his exasperation at that very fact into his words. “We haven’t really started telling people about this yet, so when we landed here we just kept acting like we do back on the station.”

And- oh! Look at that! Kira and Miles’ expressions were moving further into just plain disgust! Garak shot him a look before turning back to Basa, who still appeared uncertain.

“Moreover, as we are sure you can see,” he gestured towards Kira and Miles, “views on the station are that ours would be a relationship best left platonic.” Basa turned, as if checking that the two were still incredulous.

“I suppose that changes things,” he said slowly, a note of suspicion left in his voice.

“But we still have to arrest your friends.” He seemed to spit the last word, which did not leave Julian feeling overly optimistic. “In the meantime, we can discuss the idea of contacting your people.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Alright,” Basa began. “We all are here to figure out if those two could be in a pair-bond.” A band of people from Basa’s staff had been gathered together for an impromptu meeting. Julian was discovering the Cayamins had a less sharp sense of hearing than humans- or else, simply no concept of private discussions- as they were clearly audible from where he and Garak were seated.

“Narim, Laya, you’re the only two who saw them before they claimed to be pair-bonded. Tell us about them.”

“Well,” Narim began, somewhat regretting her decision to help the strangers. “They were very close. They stood together and sat closer than they needed to on the ride, but that could just be coincidence.” Julian blinked. He hadn’t realized. It had to have an accident, but evidently it was a lucky one now.

“And,” Laya added, thrilled that they’d helped and were now privy to this scandal. “They talked about a recent event they went to. Hard to tell if it was a date or not.”

“Yeah, but they argued about it,” Narim said.

“True, but it was fond arguing. The kind that’s really flirting,” Laya said. Julian blushed. That comment was made even more embarrassing when he remembered that Cardassians preferred flirting by arguing. It was true that that could be the case, but it really wasn’t here he was sure.

“Their body language is right,” another Cayamin chimed in. “We’d say they’re… comfortable around each other. Particularly the taller one, but the other to some degree as well."

On the one hand, Julian was glad that they were so willing to believe them. Maybe this way they stood a chance of getting Kira and Miles out of jail and all of them back to the station. But still, to be believed this easily! It wasn’t like the idea was completely foreign. He’d heard the rumors back on the station after all- it would have been hard not to. But they’d never shown any signs of seriously- well, Garak had never shown any signs...

“Are we really doing this?” One Cayamin- named Cusas- asked. “They’re obviously lying! You’re going to believe we just happened to meet the two from the station who were in a secret relationship?”

As the group continued to argue back and forth, Julian shot Garak a sympathetic look. He was sure this was not what Garak had wanted to do with his day. He leaned in closer to the other man.

“What are we going to do?” He whispered, glancing back at the Cayamins to ensure they couldn’t hear them. They appeared oblivious to the two.

“Lie, my dear. I know that is not particularly your area of expertise, but surely you’ve been in a romantic relationship enough times to pretend.” Julian frowned at his wording, realizing something. The Cayamins must not have singular pronouns, or at least, not when talking about couples. Garak must have noticed that. Of course he did. Julian smiled, glad that, if he had to be stuck in this situation with someone, it was with him.

“They are the only ones who have the answers. We need to talk to them.” Basa said. “Bring them in here.”

Julian and Garak were ushered into the room and stood before the group. Garak smiled amiably, expertly deflecting suspicions. Julian, on the other hand, frowned uncomfortably.

“How did you two meet?”

They spent the next half an hour answering questions about their supposed relationship- when and how it began, how it was progressing, minute details about each other. Garak was keeping up effortlessly, while Julian was having a bit more trouble. Still, they seemed to be quickly convincing the Cayamins of their sincerity. That is until Cusas spoke up.

“This is pointless. We should have separated them and asked these questions. How do we know they’re not just making this up on the spot?”

The other Cayamins frowned at that and murmured amongst themselves. Julian didn’t really have an answer for that, given that they were doing just that. So, the only solution was to answer a different question.

“I can’t believe I’m being forced to prove the validity of my relationship!” He threw his hands up in the air. “Just because we didn’t reveal it until we had to doesn’t mean we’re lying!” The Cayamins watched in mild surprise.

“We don’t mean any offense,” Basa spoke calmingly. “It’s just that this is a very serious matter, and sending you home would be rather complicated, given our war with the Ferre, so we need to know before we do anything.”

“You need to know? Fine then,” and Julian turned to Garak, placed his hands on his shoulders and kissed him.

The first thing he noticed was the coolness of his lips. Somehow, Julian hadn’t expected that. Next, he was aware of the chatter of the Cayamins quieting. Then he simply fell into the kiss, pressing harder against Garak’s mouth. One of Julian’s hands slid up to cup his face, feeling the delicate ridges there. He felt Garak’s arms wrap around his waist after a moment. It was awkward, of course, the uncertainty of first kisses everywhere, but it felt genuine. Julian stepped closer to Garak, wanting to be as close as possible. Julian nipped incessantly at Garak’s lip, begging. When he’s allowed entrance, he sighs softly. He loves this, can’t believe they’ve never done this before- and with that thought, he’s pulled back to reality.

He nearly jumps back, but remembers at the last second their audience, and simply hovers near Garak, feeling uncomfortably self-aware. He “can’t believe they’ve never done that before?” When did he start wanting to do that? He’d never even realized he was attracted to Garak like that. As he thought back on their recent interactions, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. It couldn’t have been anytime recently, with how every interaction they’d had in the past couple months felt the same as today. And the “fond arguing” Laya mentioned had been going on practically since they’d met! It couldn’t have been that long, could it?

“Well.” Basa cleared his throat. “That certainly was an… interesting display. I suppose, given all that’s happened today, we can agree to send you back to your people.”

“That’s great,” Julian said, perhaps not as enthusiastically as he normally would have, given how caught up he was at the moment. When he didn’t say anything else, Garak raised an eyeridge at him.

“And the two we arrived with?” Garak finally asked for him. At the sound of his voice, Julian was tugged out of his thoughts. He’d never realized just how nice Garak’s voice was. He felt ashamed for not thinking of Kira and Miles earlier, but given what he’d just realized, he thought he could be forgiven. Basa scowled at the reminder.

“Why would you even want to travel with those two?” He demanded.

“Oh, now that we know of their crimes, we will certainly report them to the proper authorities. But allow those they’ve wronged seek the justice they deserve.” Garak said. Julian fought the urge to smile stupidly at him for his efforts, knowing he was doing this for him. Basa contemplated that.

“I suppose that makes sense. But only if you can convince us once and for all of your sincerity.” Julian stared at him.

“I thought we had convinced you!” He said.

“I am certain enough to treat you as citizens. Not enough to trust you as officials who can finish the job.”

“What else can we do to convince you?” Julian asked.

“There is a charity event tonight. If you continue to behave as you have been and convince the people tonight, we will grant your request.”


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the day was spent touring Cayam with Ambassador Basa’s representative and Narim and Laya, who’d received invitations to the charity event as well. The city was gorgeous and alien, all smooth edges and gardens stacked toward the sky, but Julian was too distracted to really appreciate it.

He spent the whole day contemplating his new realization. He and Garak kept close to each other, to keep up the charade. They had stood or sat as close as this many times before and thought nothing of it. Now, though, Julian couldn’t help feeling awkward. He swore he could sense the distance between them, and he kept wanting to get closer. They kept their arms twined frequently during the day, and it took all Julian had not to press closer against him as they walked.

He desperately wanted to kiss him again- their first one having been cut short- but he didn’t want to make Garak suspicious. He did indulge in a brief kiss once, when it felt like the others were watching them too much. It only lasted a couple seconds but it felt like burning and Julian had to fight not to prolong it.

He didn’t remember a thing from the tour, too busy wondering what he was going to do. All too often he’d had his advances rejected and he had a feeling going after the other man in his usual aggressive manner would fail terribly. And that was if he even chased him at all. He didn’t want to ruin what had been a perfectly good friendship when he didn’t even know how the other man felt.

How Garak felt was always a mystery and this time was no different. This kiss didn’t seem to have affected him, but that could simply be a matter of his ability to seemingly remain calm no matter what was going on. And he’d never shown any signs of interest, excepting, Julian remembered, the fact that Cardassians flirted by arguing. If he took that into account, there’d been rather a lot of signs.

But who could know if Garak meant any of it? Obviously, Cardassians enjoyed a good argument, perhaps Garak had simply been using him for a bit of fun. The only reason he even knew about the Cardassian style of flirting was because Miles had one day mentioned a rather interesting event he experienced. Maybe Garak assumed he didn’t and wouldn’t know about it.

He was torn out of his thoughts by Narim’s voice.

“Julian?” She called, stepped out of the vehicle they’d been traveling in. He hurried to follow her, seeing the group already walking into a large building.

“This is where guests stay,” Basa’s representative said. “You may rest now until we come to get you.”

In the room they’d been assigned- one bed and didn’t that put ideas into Julian’s head!- they discussed strategy for the charity event. From what the representative had said, they could be separated more during the event than they had been during the tour. Julian intended to make use of that time to sort things out in his head, but he also knew they needed to free Kira and Miles. They just couldn’t spend too much time apart.

Garak had noticed a few more gestures of affection among the Cayamins, and he instructed Julian to participate in a few of those and a few human and Cardassian gestures as the night went on. Finally, they were ready.

They had been provided appropriate clothing for the event in time to get ready. Garak had seemed less than thrilled with the idea, but as he eyed the clothing given, he hummed in mild appreciation, so Julian figured he would be okay with it. He smiled fondly, wondering why the simple fact Garak was pleased made him feel immeasurably content.

"Do we really have to do this?" Julian asked, knowing the answer already. It had been hard enough to keep things under wrap all day, now they were going to have to kick the affection up a notch if they wanted to convince anyone, and Julian wasn’t sure his emotions could take it.

"My dear Doctor," Garak affected a tone of mock hurt. "One would think you don't wish to associate with me!"

"Of course that's not it," Julian knew he wasn’t hurt but felt the need to reassure him anyway. "But are Kira and Miles really in any danger?"

"We've both heard the way these people view them. If you wish to leave your friends at their mercy, it's none of my business."

Julian groaned aloud and twined his arm around Garak’s. He was getting very used to assuming this position.

Dancing seemed to be universal, Julian mused as he watched the crowd at the -apparently- charity dance that night. The actions were slightly different, the music foreign, but the motion behind it was familiar. Off to the side, he could see Garak charming a few Cayamins with his stories- full of lies to be sure, but still interesting. Narim and Laya came up to him after a minute of his watching Garak.

“What are you thinking about?” Laya asked him. Julian smiled at her.

“The fact that he’s surely lying to all of them right now.” Both of them laughed at the unexpected answer.

“Really?” Narim questioned. Julian nodded.

“We mentioned he’s a private person. We didn’t mention that he’s also very good at- making things up.” Julian hoped they wouldn’t take that as an indicator that they were lying about anything else. He’d simply spoken without thinking.

“And yet, you love him,” Laya teased. Julian realized he was still smiling.

“Yeah,” he replied, realizing it was true as he said it. “You know, I really do.”

Laya frowned. “I?” Julian’s eyes widened, realizing his mistake.

“We just meant- see neither of our people has a singular pronoun for when one is dating someone- it’s only that it would sound weird -to us- to say ‘we love him.’” Narim frowned at that, but Laya seemed to pick up on something under his words.

“And you are not always certain of his feelings for you, are you?” Julian was sure he had ruined it now. He nodded miserably.

“Look, I know he enjoys my company -he admitted as much once- but I still can’t figure out why he bothers to spend time with me. Even after all this time, I still can’t figure him out.”

Laya gave a fond look towards Narim. “There’s a saying here. Nothing easy is worth the effort. A relationship where you keep having to figure the other out seems pretty okay to us.” Julian smiled weakly.

“Thanks.”

“And for what it’s worth, we may not know him very well either, but we wouldn’t worry if we were you.” The two of them walked away, leaving Julian frantically wondering what they meant, and whether their ideas could be trusted. He glanced back at Garak and took a quick breath before walking over.

“Can we have this dance?” he grinned helplessly at his own bad lines and reached out a hand. Garak looked down at his hand before nodding his assent. They moved out onto the floor, Garak quickly taking the lead, given his better observation of the dance.

“I forgot to say this before, but thank you,” Julian said, glad this particular dance required the dancers to look over each other’s shoulders. Staring into Garak’s eyes as they danced might be a little too much for him to deal with. Though the closeness required to look over each other’s shoulders was also doing a number on him.

“‘Thank you?’ For what, my dear?” Garak asked.

“You know what,” Julian said. “Keeping up the act so we can free Kira and Miles. I know you all aren’t exactly friends.” Garak rolled his eyes at the obviousness of that.

“Well, I can assure you, no thanks are necessary. I’m simply trying to ensure these people do decide to return us to the station.”

“Thanks, anyway.” Julian smiled and leaned back to look into his eyes.

“If you insist,” Garak muttered, continuing to make eye contact. They continued to do so until Julian cleared his throat anxiously and looked at the ground.

“Garak, I-” He cut himself off. “I’m glad you’re here."


	4. Chapter 4

“Garak, I have something to say to you.” Julian took in a deep breath. “I really like you.” He frowned, pacing around the empty room. “No, that doesn’t sound right. Too… formal.”

They were traveling in a Cayamin ship back toward the station. They’d managed to convince them to let all four of them go home- though Miles and Kira were still being held by security, something Kira was surely fuming about.

After the dance, Julian had quickly excused himself. He needed a moment or two to deal with that, but when he came back they quickly went to work acting their parts. With Garak’s skills at lying and the fact Julian wasn’t lying, they were able to make quick work of the doubters. Though, many remained confused when Julian told them he’d fallen in love during the event with the wire. He supposed you had to see it to understand.

He was quickly reaching the end of his rope when it came to hiding his feelings. This wasn’t at all something he was used to doing. When he wanted something, he went after it. It hadn’t always worked out all that well for him, but it was what he was used to. Trying to pretend he didn’t feel anything when all he wanted was him was torture.

He needed a plan. When he didn't plan out what he was going to say it all came out a mess, and he couldn't afford that this time. He needed to be clever and charming. Oh but Garak always seemed to have a way of seeing through him. Fine then, be genuine. But would Garak even like that, or would he find that kind of honesty distasteful? Ugh, this was all pointless, there wasn't enough to even suggest that Garak liked him back, let alone was willing to- to what? What did he even want from the man? Well, he could certainly think of a few things he wanted when it came down to it, but what was he trying to get from confessing?

-  
Julian started when he saw Garak coming down the corridor to him. Oh no, he was not ready for this. He was not ready to confront the damned man and tell him he wanted to be with him. He drew in a breath and smiled widely.

“Garak!” He said. “I was just coming to see you!”

“Why, Doctor, I would have thought you'd have seen enough of me over the past few days. After all, how much can you enjoy the presence of a plain, simple tailor?” Julian frowned at that. He was pretty sure Garak didn't mean that, but he couldn't be sure.

“Of course I like spending time with you! After all our lunches, I'd assumed someone, especially someone like you, would have realized that.”

“Someone like me?” Garak gave a smile at the accusation. “Still playing that old game, are we?” Julian smiled, prepared to fire back when he realized. Oh! This is flirting! He knew there'd been arguments in the Cardassian style, but had all their conversations been like this? Secretly flirting, shooting off quick remarks and smiling? No wonder there had been rumors about them.

“Actually, I was hoping to start a new one.” Julian drew closer to Garak, feeling oddly nervous, but trying to keep it away.

“Oh? And what kind of game is that?” Garak stayed where he was, an imperious look on his face, but Julian swore he could see something else in his eyes. Julian stepped even closer.

“I think someone with your kind of observational skills would understand.” Julian murmured, almost pressed right up against Garak.

“Mm, yes I suppose. But,” Garak stepped away and Julian wondered again if he was crazy for doing this, but he couldn't give up now. “‘My kind of observational skills’? You've always had certain ideas about me that may be leading to a faulty premise. Who's to say I have the- skills you're looking for?” Julian took another step forward.

“Well, I always thought you were the one for the hard jobs.” Julian winced at the double-entendre in his words- that was too much, even for him- but Garak wasn't stepping away. Julian brought his hands up to cup Garak’s face and kissed him.

Immediately control was wrested away from him. Julian fought it for a minute, but gave in when he realized he wasn't going to win this fight. It was a rough kiss, all teeth and tongues. Julian felt himself being pushed up against the wall, and he fought it, just for the fun of it, until he was roughly shoved against it. That broke contact for a minute, but quickly Garak was back again, pushing Julian's arms over his head and keeping them there with one hand. Garak slotted one leg between Julian's and ran his other hand down to meet it.

Julian breathed heavily, stuck in his spot against the wall. He was still pressing kisses to Garak’s mouth, but his attention was rapidly being drawn elsewhere. He wanted to explore and his hands and mouth longed to roam, but for the moment he remained content. He managed to angle his head to reach the ridges on Garak's next, and he bit down gently, then increasingly firm, and was pleased to elicit a gasp from the other man.

Garak pulled back and Julian nearly whined at the loss of contact, but he was pleased to note the other man looked disappointed as well.

“We’ll be arriving at the station in ten minutes,” Garak said, voice still a little less composed than usual. For a moment, Julian still wanted to beg for more time before realizing that he would probably be expected to talk to Captain Sisko and what a sight he must be at the moment.

“I-I'll go straighten up,” he muttered, standing up straight. Garak backed away, nodding, and Julian brushed down his borrowed clothing, wishing he had access to a mirror.

A few minutes later, Julian was standing on the bridge of the Cayamin ship, still a little rumpled but ready to talk to Sisko.

“Captain!” He began.

“Doctor?” Sisko asked. “We were just beginning to wonder what was taking you four so long.”

“Yes well, our runabout crashed on the planet Cayam. Luckily, we were able to agree to passage back. They've brought the runabout in their docking bay.”

“Where are the others?” Sisko asked.

“They're all here. But sir,” he began, desperately hoping Sisko would get the message. “It seems that Major Kira and Chief O’Brien have broken a pair-bond by their getting together. The Cayamins are willing to hand them over to station custody, so long as we ensure they get appropriately punished.” Sisko seemed to get the message- he usually did- and simply nodded briefly.

“How were you able to negotiate with them? I thought the Cayamins refused to speak with single people.” Julian shifted uncomfortably. The fact that it was now true did nothing to lessen the awkwardness of what he was about to announce.

“Ah, sir. We are… Not exactly single. We simply hadn't made it public…” He trailed off. Sisko looked marginally confused, at the pronoun use and at the news.

“Who are you dating? And why did you feel the need to hide it?”

“It's-er, Garak sir. That's why they were willing to believe us.” Sisko closed in eyes, both at the news and at the realization why exactly Julian looked so disheveled.

“I see. Well, I see no reason to discuss it further. As you and Commander Dax are the only two dating someone on the senior staff, you two can take care of this.” Julian nodded hurriedly.

“Yes sir.”

-  
Later, when Keiko was reunited with her husband and girlfriend, she watched Garak and Julian walking away together. She smiled, walking arm in arm with her partners.

“So they're together now?” She asked. Miles frowned.

“I think so. Julian seemed pretty sincere when he told me afterward.” Nerys joined him in his frown. And Keiko looked between them.

“Well, I think it's wonderful they've finally gotten together,” Keiko said. “And you two are not going to say a word to Julian about it, except that you're pleased he's happy." Both her partners frowned deeper and protested, mostly variations on “he's dating a Cardassian!” Keiko held firm.

“You may each warn him once that you think it's a bad idea, but then you're done.” She gave them both a stern look. “Now let's head back to our quarters.”

Ahead of them, Garak and Julian were agreeing to much the same.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Absolutely the reason Garak came along at all was because Julian was going.  
> 2\. Thanks to brinnanza for helping me with this!  
> 3\. Snapdragons are flower language for deception and Gardenias for secret love.


End file.
